DreamSpy – Out Of This World
DreamSpy – Out Of This World
Inverse Records
Release Date: 31/03/23
Running Time: 32:15
Review by Dark Juan
8/10
Mrs Dark Juan is creating again. This time it is supposedly a white rabbit. This does not even come close to the horror that is emanating from her imagination. The proportions of it are all wrong. It has baleful, pupil-less eyes and teeth that could open arteries at 40 yards. The sinister bouncy fucker also has human arms and hands and it STARES with blind fury at me. It is bone white and sepulchral. It looks like it should be nosing around the grass in a particularly spooky graveyard on a stormy night. The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch wouldn’t be fucking touching it, regardless if thou counteth three, being the third number. Four thou shalt not count. It moves when I close my eyes. Not even the Smellhounds will go near it. Unsurprisingly, Mrs Dark Juan thinks it is cute. I think it is hideous. The sooner it is fucked off to America, for this is where it is going, the better and our American cousins (Hi Erik!) can deal with it. I expect it will be incumbent in the White House at the next election.
We have also lost Paul O’Grady, who was a fine gentleman. My favourite story is the time a young man was going to a show with Paul (who was in full drag as Lily Savage) and some Neanderthal mouth-breathers started to shout “Homosexual!” at the pair of them. Yes, singular. Which shows you really just how educationally subnormal the mouth-breathers were. One of the pork-complexioned meatheads started across the road to remonstrate with the narrator and Ms. Savage, who promptly stood in front of the narrator and snarled, “You couldn’t even spell it, you CUNT!” This is an attitude Dark Juan is fully behind, as Dark Juan is a friend and ally to all genders and sexual preferences. Identify as you fucking wish, peeps. Unless you’re a paedophile, in which case I’ll string you up personally, carve bits off and laugh while I do it. For reasons.
The Platter of Splatter™ is spinning. There is a record upon it and that record is “Out Of This World” by DreamSpy, DreamSpy being the one-man musical outpourings of bassist and vocalist Anssi Tamminen. It is of interest because the lynchpin of the music is an upright electric bass, dripping with effects and oozing malice. ‘The Chosen One’ is the opening gambit and a pretty sprightly one it is too. Taking in elements of Symphonic and Gothic Metal, Gothic Rock and Electro music, it’s an eclectic melange of influences held together by the mellifluous, yet blusteringly raunchy tones of Anssi’s vocals, being as he has a seductive baritone.
‘Time To Die’ is a straight to the throat romp, gloriously overblown and spectacular, especially on the chorus, where there are choral backing vocals and sweeping, swoopy synths wafting all over the fucking shop. ‘Fire’ is where Anssi properly lets rip with the vocals with some absolutely rabid backing vocals and a killer central riff and a sound not too dissimilar to early Gothminister in places. I fucking love this tune, what with its mosh-friendly tempo and Anssi belting out the word “Fire” like he really doesn’t need his vocal chords any more after the song. ‘Outside’ is an altogether more sweeping affair, sounding a bit like Evanescence, but with more electronics and a bloke singing, rather than the delightful Amy Lee. Anssi really demonstrates his vocal range here, especially in the last minute of the song where he just… soars majestically.
The eclecticism continues on the rather more Dark Electro based ‘Part Steel, Part Human’ where Synthwave is rather more than just nodded at – this song would not be out of place on a Pertubator album and Anssi dials down the spittle-flecked microphone attack in favour of a more measured and extremely attractive croon. As you all know, Dark Juan is a colossal fan of Synthwave so he is all over this song like the very cheapest of poorly-fitting suits as it is an atmospheric 80s-a-thon of considerable majesty.
The production of this album is spot on. Everything is super-cleanly produced and mixed. The drums are obviously sequenced but this is designed into the sound of the music, and they sit comfortably in the mix and the bass work… Oh, the bass work. The sounds this Finnish madman can drag out of a very unusual instrument (an upright bass) are beyond belief. Sometimes it emanates a menacing growl, sometimes it sounds like Aunty Bob Smith is going to break out in a rendition of ‘Friday, I’m In Love’ and sometimes it is indistinguishable from an electric guitar. All hail the God of distortion. Add to this some masterful synthesiser work and you have a positive smorgasbord of Very Good Things. ‘Through The Dark Days’ even manages to add a very rock and roll vibe to the record with the central riff being something that the likes of Foreigner or Survivor would have given at least a testicle for. Maybe two…
In short, then, DreamSpy is fucking awesome. There’s power, bombast and a supreme confidence at work that lifts the music beyond mere electronic noodling and upright bass abuse into Gothic Hard Rock Heaven and the vocals crawl from sepulchral whispering to barrel-lunged baritone. Hallelujah!
The Patented Dark Juan Blood Splat Rating System™ (Patentoitu Dark Juan -veriroiskeluokitusjärjestelmä suomalaisille ystävillemme! I don’t trust Google Translate here, even less than how much I trust it with Welsh) awards DreamSpy 8/10 for a record of not inconsiderable Gothic magnificence that effortlessly transcends genres and type. Marks were deducted because the album is designed for a very specific audience, and also because you have to be able to enjoy other forms of music besides Metal to fully appreciate this, and only a more experienced listener will be able to gain supreme enjoyment from the music DreamSpy offers. This album is going straight on Dark Juan’s Spotify playlist. Don’t bother remonstrating with me about it. It IS a rip off for the artists but the CD player in the Schwerer Gothikpanzer doesn’t work and I am too poor to get it fixed.
TRACKLISTING:
01. The Chosen One
02. Time To Die
03. Fire
04. Outside
05. Part Steel, Part Human
06. A Lighthouse
07. Through The Dark Days
08. Dead Autumn Leaves
LINE-UP:
Anssi Tamminen – Fucking everything. Uber-talented wanker.
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Dark Juan and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
